Last



J. A. WILKENS Nov. 12, 1935.

LAST

Filed June 6 1934 Patented Nov. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE LAST Joseph A. Wilkens, St. Bernard, Ohio Application June 6, 1934, Serial No. 729,266

Claims. My invention relates to lasts in the boot and shoe industry, and to that type of last in which one of the last parts is bodily shifted with relation to its mate in separating the shoe from the last.

It has heretofore been difficult in general practice to separate the shoe and last without injury last; and, further, to provide novel guiding means and linking means between the last parts so constructed and arranged that the last parts are drawn toward each other during relative movement between the last parts.

It is the object of my invention, further, to provide a novel last consisting of few parts, and in which the principal last parts which aid in shaping the shoe are cut away to minimum extent so as to leave the shoe-forming parts of the last as solid as possible, to prolong the life of the last and to prevent injury to or disintegration of its structure or shoe-forming contour.

It is the object of my invention, further, to provide a last in which the heel part and the fore part when in operative relation form a substantially continuous outer surface devoid of recesses in which shoe parts may be accidentally lodged.

The invention consists in the means employed by which I accomplish the objects stated.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved last in operative relation, partly in vertical section, in the plane of the line ll of Fig. 3, and showing a shoe in dotted lines thereabout.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same, but showing the fore part of the last and the shoe raised for removal of the shoe, and showing the shoe in additional stages of removal, to illustrate the clearance afforded between the heel part of andthe heel end of the shoe.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, taken in the plane the last Forming the rough-turned of the line 3+3 of Fig. 1, and partly broken away. Fig. 4 is an enlarged diagrammatic representation illustrating the action between the last parts; and, Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing a rough-turned 5 last with its center butts removed, and having a saw cut therein, shown partly completed in full lines and fully completed in dotted lines, to show substantial removal of the fillet left on the blank of the last after rough-turning of the same. l0 The fore part II and the heel part I2 of the last have guide faces l3, I4 between them extending crosswise of the last. These guide faces are preferably arcuate on an arc described from a center a considerable distance outside the last and having a curvature extending in similar direction to the curvature of the rear end of the heel part of the last, the corresponding curved end of the shoe usually having the usual upright seam at its middle. A shoe is indicated at a. The radius of the arc may for example be ten inches.

The last is rough-turned from a usual last blank on a usual duplicating last-turning machine, and has its usual end butts held by the lathe centers, removed. The last when so rough-finished is shown at l5 inFig. 5. The heel portion of the rough-turned last is provided with a shallow rabbet H5 at its bottom which merges by means of a fillet IT with the bottom H! of the fore part of the last. This fillet is left by the cutter in roughturning the last. The rabbet is of a height so that when the last is finished is accommodates a heel plate l9, which is secured to the bottom of the heel part of the finished last, so that the bottom of the heel plate is on a level with the bottom of the fore part of the finished last. The heel plate is usually of metal. This rabbet and the fillet extend entirely across the rough-turned last. last with the rabbet avoids the necessity of a subsequent operation. The heel part and the fore part of the last 'are separated by forming a cutZZ therebetween,

as by means of a saw blade 23, along the guide faces between the heel part and the fore part of r the last, which saw-blade is usually the saw-blade of a band-saw or a scroll saw. The kerf of the saw-blade removes the fillet I! or a substantial portion of the same. This operation is indicated in'Fig. 5. i

Cutting away the fillet at the same time that the last parts are separated saves an extra operation, and provides a shoulder 24 at the inner end of the bottom of the fore part of the last, proximate to theinner end of the heel plate when the parts are in operative relation. Any

I fore part of the last by may be separated substantially removing the fillet in the cutting operation, and any remaining portion of the fillet may be readily and speedily removed by sanding or smoothing.

The heel part ofthe last is provided with a usual hole 28, having a metal lining 29, for receiving the usual jack pin extending upwardly from the usual anvil or lasting jack for supe porting the last.

The proximate ends of the fore part and heel part-of thelast are respectively provided with slots 3|, 32;,which are in line with each other. These slots preferably extend vertically. A'link 33 is located in these'slots and extends across the guide-faces between the body parts of the last. The link has pivotal connections at its respective ends with these body parts. These pivotal connections have relief endwise of the link for permitting endwise shifting between one of the body parts of the last and the link while maintaining guiding contact between the guide faces and holding the heel part and fore part of the last close together during relative movements between said parts.

The link is provided with a pivot hole 35 and a pivot hole 36. The heel part is providedwith a pivot pin 31 and the fore part is provided with a pivot pin 38. There is lengthwise relief movement between these pivot pins and the pivot holes, shown at 39 by elongating the pivot hole 36 for permitting endwise shifting between the link and the pivot pin 38. 1

-The limits of angular movement of the link about the pivot pin 31 are represented by the dot and dash lines 4|, 42, (Fig. 4), representing a right line between the pivotal axes of the pins atythe limits of movement between the same. The point of intersection of said right line with the arcuate plane of the guide faces between the 7 body partsof the last, if caused to' describe ran arc of a circle having the pivotal axis of the pin 31 as its center, forms an arc, exemplified at 43, between said intersecting point at its limits of movement, which is curved outwardly from the arcuate plane'of said guide faces. The distance of greatest separation of said arc from said arcuate plane represents the extent of endwise movement of the pin 38 between its limits of up and down movements and corresponds with the advisable elongation of thehole 36.

In order, however, to counteract the endwise play there would otherwise be between said link and. the pin 38, and consequently between the and'the fore part of the" last, during the relative shifting between said limits of movements, I provide counteracting coacting faces between said link and 'the body part of the last provided with thepin 38, These coacting faces are represented as a pin in'the fore part of the last and a slot 46 in the link. This slot is somewhat angular, and

is at one end providedwith a seat 41 coacting with the lastnamed pin when the parts are in operative relation, and with a seat 48'which cois provided with a recess tom and the link,

the shifted relation between the body .is provided with 'with the bottom of the movements of said parts.

-rear end of the shoe 'last without injury. This action places the parts acts with the pin when the parts are in release relation. 7

There is a hump 49 between said seats which coacts with the pin 55, to pull the pin 45 toward the pivotal axis of the pin 31, and consequently to pull the heel part of the last toward thefore part thereof throughout the shifting movements between the body parts of the last. The wall or V the slot 46 and the pin 45 form coacting cam faces between the link and one of the bodyparts of the last for holding the other part of the last towards its mate during the shifting movements between said body parts. 7

One of the last parts,'shown as the heel part, 5|, which communicates with the slot 32, and the link is provided with an extension 52 projecting into said recess. The

extension is provided with a rounded end 53,

forming a seat. A spring 54, shown as a spiral spring, is located in the recess between its botthe outer end of the spring forming aseat coacting with the seat 53 on the 7 link for urging the link and the heel part into operative relation with the fore part of the last,

or vice versa.

The limits of the operative relation and of the last are determined by coacting shoulders between said link and said parts. Thus the link a shoulder theareuate face I3 exposed by the extension 56 of the slot 32, forming a shoulder coasting with the shoulder 55. The link is also preferably pro vided with a shoulder 59 at its opposite edge which coacts with the part of the guide face [4 T on the other body part of the last, exposed by an which coacts with T parts of extension 58 of the slot 3|, for forming a shoul der on said other body part of the last, repree sented as the heel part thereof. 7

The hump '49 coacting with the pin 45 forms a latch when'the pin is located in its seat 41 or its seat 48, at the limits of movement between the body parts oi the last, to maintain said body parts in their assumed relations, until suflioient force is exerted by the operator when moving the last parts into operative relation or into shifted relation.

The link and its pins are preferably of metal.

In operation, the hole 28 is placed over the jack pin 30 for locating the heel part of the last,'and the fore'part of the last is depressed, (Fig; l), for bringing the bottom of the fore part on a level heel plate [9 on the heel part of the last. In this relation, the shoulders 55 and 59 are in coactive relation with their mating shoulders, and the pin 45 is located in its seat 41, placing the parts in resistant relation to blows and operative strains upon the shoe in the relations shown in Fig. 2. The shoe may i thereupon be readily slipped from the fore part 7 of the last, as'see the dotted lines a. In this relation of parts the pin 45. is seated in its seat side of the hump 43 forlatching of the last in shifted relation.

48;at the other the body parts I-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what 15 V I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a last, a pair of parts comprising a heel part and a fore part having guide faces between them along which there is movement between said parts so as to change the elevation of the entire body of one of said parts with relation to its mating part, a link between said parts having pivotal shoulders limiting said movement.

2. In a last, a heel part and a fore part having guide faces between them along which there is movement between said parts so as to change the elevation of the entire body of one of said parts with relation to its mating part, a link between said parts having pivotal connections with both said parts, and a spring in one of said parts acting on said link and moving said parts into normal working relation, said parts provided with shoulders, and said link provided with shoulders said shoulders on said parts for limiting said movement.

3. In a last, a heel part and a fore guide faces between them part having along which there is the proximate ends of said parts provided with mating slots, and a link in said slots extending across said guide faces, the respective ends of said link having pivotal connections with said respecconnections having relief lengthwise of said link, and one of said parts and said link respectively provided with coacting faces provided with a hump for taking upsaid endwise play between limits of pivotal movements of said link for maintaining intimate connection between said guide faces.

4. In a last, a heel part and a fore part having guide faces between them along which there is movement between said parts for elevating one of said parts bodily with relation to its mate, the proximate ends of said parts provided with mating slots, one of said parts provided with a recess crosswise to and communicating with the slot therein, a link in said slots extending across said guide faces, the respective ends of said link having pivotal connections with said respective parts, one of said parts and said link respectively provided with a slot and a pin in said slot, the wall of said slot provided with a hump coacting latching said parts in moved relations, and a spring in said recess acting on said link for urging said parts into normal operative relation.

5. In a last, a heel part and a fore part, the proximate ends of said parts provided with mating slots, and a link in said slots, the respective ends of said link having pivotal connections with said respective parts, said pivotal connections having relief lengthwise of said link, said parts having arcuate guide faces between them along which said parts have relative movement for shifting one of said parts bodily with relation to its mate, the arcuate plane of said arcuate guide faces intersecting the right line between the pivotal axes of said pivotal connections, the intersecting point between said right line and said arcuate plane at the limits of movement of said ing outwardly away from said arcuate plane between such limits of movement, and said link and one of said parts provided with coasting faces Within said arcuate plane and having a form to draw the said part at the outside of said arcuate plane toward its mate between said limits of movement.

JOSEPH A. WILKENS. 

